Despite the country's oil wealth, Nigerians have been listed among the world's poorest people based on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capital.

According to the 2010 listing of 182 countries based on Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Nigeria is down the ladder, ranking 140 with an average per capital income of $2,398.

The GDP per capital is calculated based on the value of goods and services produced in a country divided by the population.

This comes on the heels of a statement by the Central Bank Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi that 105 million (70 per cent) of Nigerians live below the poverty line.

A small Arab country, Qatar, tops the list with an average per capital income of $88,232. It means that the people of Qatar, on the average, are about 40 times wealthier than Nigerians.

In contrast, the Democratic Republic of Congo is at the bottom of the ranking with an average of just $340 per capital. This also means that Nigerians are about eight times richer than the Congolese.

Countries that top the list are: Qatar $88,232, Luxembourg $80,304, Singapore $57,238, Norway $52,238 and Brunei $47,200.

In the same vein, the 162 ranking of countries per capital income by World Bank places Nigeria Nigeria at number 128 with $2,150 per capital, while Cameron fared better a number 126 on the list.

The World Factbook provided by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) also ranked Nigeria 145 with an estimated GDP per capital of $2,400.

Zimbabwe is at the bottom of the 194-country list with an average per capital income of $100.

Countries at the top of the World Factbook are: Qatar, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Bermuda, Singapore, Norway and Jersey.

Nigeria pride itself the 'giant of Africa' but more than half of its 140million people are poor, unemployed and live without electricity.

As the country prepares for general elections in April, the World Bank warned that Nigeria should not expect any boost in foreign investment. The country's Foreign Direct Investment fell by 60 per cent in 2010.

In the same vein, Nigeria has been ranked 142 out of 169 least prosperous countries in the world, according to UN data.

The country was grouped among 41 countries considered to have the "least human development" in the 2010 Human Development Report, compiled by UN Development Programme (UNDP).

Nigeria has not been able to industrialise and diversify its oil-based economy amidst what observers describe as incompetent and corrupt leaders, with the manufacturing sector contributes less than 4 per cent to the GDP.